This invention relates to apparatus for breaking up and disposing of burned-out glass fluorescent lamp bulb tubes, and more particularly concerns apparatus which safely breaks fluorescent tubes to comminuted debris amenable to convenient accumulation and disposal.
Devices for breaking up fluorescent tubes are known. However, such devices are subject to various disadvantages which have thwarted their widespread utilization. Fluorescent tubes are commonly disposed of with the ordinary everyday trash of industrial buildings. Without a suitable device in a plant, factory or office building, etc., for breaking up and disposing of burned-out fluorescent tubes, much time is wasted in the excessive handling necessitated by collecting, transporting and storing the easily breakable and dangerous fluorescent tubes. In the course of such handling of the tubes for disposal purposes, accidents involving cuts and infections from broken phosphor-coated glass fluorescent tubes are of common occurrence.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for safely and conveniently disposing of glass fluorescent tubes.
It is another object of this invention to provide apparatus of the foregoing object which will break said glass tubes to a comminuted debris, and accumulate said debris for convenient disposal.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide apparatus of the aforesaid nature of high mobility and capable of thoroughly confining said debris.
It is still another object of this invention to provide an improved apparatus for disposal of glass tubes of simple and rugged construction which may be economically manufactured.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.